Cyclist Dies in Bow Roundabout Lorry Collision

A cyclist has been killed today in a crash with a lorry at Bow Roundabout – the third cyclist to die at the Roundabout in two years, with the crash taking place 10m away from flowers left for another cyclist who died. And the fourth bike rider to die on the capital’s roads in eight days.

It happened at about 08:45 today, 13th November. The woman, in her mid-20s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police cordoned off the scene of the crash.

The other cyclists, Brian Dorling, 58, and Svitlana Tereschenko, 34, were both killed on the painted blue Cycle Superhighway 2 (CS2) at Bow Roundabout.

Twelve cyclists have died on London’s roads so far this year, compared with 14 in 2012, according to Transport for London.

Police are appealing for witnesses to Wednesday’s collisions.

The London Assembly Green Part member Darren Johnson said the London mayor, Boris Johnson, was “in complete denial” over both the dangers of cycling in London, “and his personal responsibility” for making it safer.

“[Boris Johnson’s] repeated talk of our roads getting safer does not match the reality, especially when there is no obvious plan or timetable for action,” said Johnson.

“The mayor must dump his damaging policy of smoothing traffic flow, which puts the needs of motorists before safety, deliver segregated cycle lanes on key routes and work with boroughs to roll out 20mph speed limits.”

The mayor announced last week that he intended to expand the number of protected cycle lanes in the capital following a series of road deaths and criticism from a coroner that existing lanes give cyclists a false sense of security.

Johnson acknowledged that the existing network – launched in 2010 and mainly marked by just blue paint – needed improvement after a spate of accidents in which riders have been crushed by lorries.

Two weeks earlier, coroner Mary Hassall ordered Johnson and Transport for London to explain how they planned to make the system safer after conducting inquests into the deaths of two cyclists along the east-west cycle superhighway 2 (CS2), both crushed by lorries. Johnson said he would “take account of any comments and criticisms”.

In response to Wednesday morning’s fatality in Bow, Boris Johnson said: “Any death on London’s roads is a tragedy and my thoughts are with the families and friends of the cyclists who have lost their lives. In the past decade, the number of cyclists in the capital has almost trebled and it is absolutely vital that we continue to invest huge sums of money into making cycling infrastructure as safe as possible.

“I’ve committed almost £1bn to doing just that, with major improvements being made to junctions and superhighways across London and plans to ensure HGVs not fitted with safety equipment will face charges. More work is under way and they are being done as quickly as possible. This is an absolute priority for me, my team and TfL.”

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6 Comments

Nigel you have some good points, however I fear we’re a little late in the day to make major improvements to roads and especially the underground, most are penned in by the city’s hidden innards such as pipework/sewers and buildings.

All I want to say, is the biggest shame to my mind is the Brits didn’t adopt a more Dutch-approach to our roads – totally separate lanes cycles and motorised vehicles with a physical barrier between the 2 and traffic lights for each.

Through investing in infrastructure for bicycles, and statutory education for cycling in cities, not only would the environment we live in be much improved, but so would the health of Londoners.

Also, don’t forget it isn’t negative health implications from exhaust fumes, it is the damage these fumes do to our built heritage. More investment now will pay dividends in return.

If we can import tube experts from the USA to improve the underground, let’s import urban transport experts from Amsterdam and invest in roads that are safe for cyclists and a pleasure for motorists. Otherwise we will always be having posts about the tragic death of cyclists and motorists having accidents because of lousy cyclists sharing the same highways.

I find the biggest problem though is that when cyclists do take up the primary riding position, ie in the middle of the lane, they are harassed by other drivers. Hence why a lot feel safer being closer to the curb, even though it is more dangerous.

As a retired HGV driver & a volunteer driver for Tower Hamlets Community Transport it really worry’s & frightens me, to see the amount of Cyclist ridding around Central London with a lack of basic
knowledge of the Highway Code.